Israel to Regulate New Rules for Medical Tourism

“The Knesset,” the Parliament Israel, has passed a bill to regulate the medical tourism norms. The measures were taken to ensure that foreigners, who go to Israel for medical tourism, pay privately for medical care and get the care they need without affecting thelocal medical treament.

“The law will ensure order in the area of medical tourism and contribute to both medical care and enhancing the experience of visitors,” said Health Minister Rabbi Yaakov Litzman.

An estimated 30,000 medical tourists visit Israel every year– mostly from Ukraine, Russia, Cyprus and Eastern Europe. Recently a discussion has startedregarding the care Israelis need is sometimes not fulfilled because of the whooping expenses for which they are unable to compete with the sums offered by the tourists.

“The new law will require that the agents who match medical tourists with practitioners register and indicate which medical practitioner they have sent a tourist to. Medical authorities will then be able to examine doctors and other practitioners’ schedules, to ensure that the interests of local patient examining schedules are not harmed. In the case of any discrepancy, the authorities will be able to reassign the foreign patient to another practitioner who can help them in a manner that will not harm the regular care schedule for the Israel nationals as well help the medical tourists to have a hassle free treatment.”- said by a authority member.

The law, besides encouraging fair treatment, seeks to ensure that the income that medical tourism will flow equally and will be used to enhance the health system of all the nationals, and not just benefitting the doctors and agents.